The past few days I have been interviewing potential employees, I find this task to be a two-edged sword. As a business owner you want to find the best employee for your business, yet you also want the employee to find the best employer they possibly can. It needs to be a win-win to truly work into a great relationship.
One thing that I have been very mindful of during my interview process is to make sure that the candidates know everything about the position, wages, benefits and potential to grow with our business. It is a big weight on my shoulders to make sure when I pick the right person that they are the right person and we are the right employer for them, especially if they are leaving a job to come to work for us.
What if it doesn’t work out? If this person is supporting themselves and possibly a family, they will be out of a job… no money or resources to draw from would be devastating.
Today in my interviews one potential candidate wanted to know what our business is looking for in a new hire to our team. I went over my list of items with her and she was surprised that the following two were ones on my list as she had never had an employer bring them up before.
I was surprised that she has worked for employers who would not address these issues as being important before hiring someone.
1. Respect your employers resources: Whether you work for a large corporation or a solo business person, their resources are highly important to them.
Most employees rarely think about the waste of office supplies, food supplies in a restaurant, or products in a retail store. They do not pay the bills and it does not affect their paycheck.
As an employee if you take the stance that the business is yours you will see things quite differently. Every paperclip will have value. By valuing what your employer values, which is every dollar, you will have more value to your employer.
Not only will you have more value to your employer, but you will feel good about taking better care of the business overall.
2. Be a part of solutions: Employers appreciate when employees want to address problems or see things that can be done better and offer solutions. Far too often employers only hear complaints without offered solutions.
The best way to approach an employer if you do have a solution to a problem or issue is to put it in writing. Explain what you see, what you think might be a possible solution and why. Ask for a time to talk to your employer to so you can present your solution.
Employees who are actively looking for ways to make the business run better, more efficiently, raise revenue, and increase customer satisfaction are an employer’s dream employee.
If you want to be a great employee find solutions to improve your workplace and care about your employer’s bottom line.
Now, on with my search….
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